Is Marian the next Angel Locsin?
STARBYTES By Butch Francisco
Several actresses auditioned for the role: Jennylyn Mercado, Rica Peralejo, Nadine Samonte and other StarStruck alumnae. Now, there is really nothing to be embarrassed about auditioning and not getting the part. Maybe you don’t fit the role physically. But there will be other roles for you if you are a good actor.
Take for example, Rica Peralejo, who seems to be trying to take a chance at every role available on TV — Darna included. I admire her for her professionalism and dedication because that’s the proper way to go about landing a role — auditioning. Rica may not have been lucky with Darna and Marimar, but at least we see her now in every other horror flick — and is quite effective in this genre.
But Rica’s loss in Marimar is Marian Rivera’s gain. Marian had been around for a couple of years and did mostly supporting roles. The first time I saw her was in a horror movie about two years ago. I now forget the title of the film, but I do remember that she gave a decent enough performance there (as a ghost, if I recall correctly).
However, I don’t find her delivery in her Marimar audition to be very impressive. But then, you see the great potential in her — and that was probably what the selection committee saw. At least, you know that she can be molded into the perfect Marimar with careful guidance.
Physically, Marian had always been very pretty — although a bit quite too mature-looking for her age. Undoubtedly lovely, but with a bit of spinsterish air about her. There was a positive transformation about her, however, in her Marimar audition. All of a sudden, she looked earthy, sexy and sensuality was written all over her face and body. Even her skin glowed — like she overdosed on glutathion right before the audition.
I’m sure she will make a good Marimar and life will never be the same again for Marian once this series takes off on GMA 7 sometime next month.
Maybe she’ll be the new Angel Locsin of the country’s leading network. As for Angel, I only wish her the best of luck in whatever she wants to do with her life. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for her and, in fact, while she was getting pilloried by everyone on print, I even came to her defense last week — to the point that a friend from the industry already said that I was “oblivious to all the nasty things being said about Angel.”
Talks still persist and the latest is that she is supposedly knocking on the door of ABS-CBN. Now, nobody really knows what she is going to do with her life and career. Is she going to London to study fashion design? If ever she does that, the common sentiment of many is for her to also shop around for a school where she could learn a thing or two about gratitude.
Angel may not have landed the role of the year that is Marimar, but when she is in her twilight years, she can always look back and say to her grandchildren that at least, once upon a time, she was Darna, which is the role of a lifetime.
One role that can cross genres, shows and networks is Miss Tapia, which veteran radio-TV talent Mely Tagasa had been doing for life (it’s a part that’s hers and hers alone). Miss Tapia actually started as a comic strip character — in Baltic & Co. that first came out in the Manila Bulletin toward the mid-’70s.
When Baltic & Co., however, was turned into a sitcom in 1974, Miss Tapia was given a face on screen by Mely. Baltic & Co., though it was a hilarious sitcom, sadly lasted less than two years on TV.
In 1978, Iskul Bukol premiered in the old Channel 13 and the character Miss Tapia (again with Mely playing it) was revived as part of the plot. But while Miss Tapia was a cantankerous cashier on Baltic & Co., she became a stern (and still cantankerous) teacher on Iskul Bukol.
Last Saturday, it was a pleasant surprise to see Mely Tagasa/Miss Tapia again on TV when Eat, Bulaga! did a semi-reunion of Iskul Bukol in the Bulagaan portion. With Tito Sotto and Joey de Leon playing it out as the Eskalera brothers and Vic Sotto as Ongasis, that Eat, Bulaga! episode was a riot —with this phenomenal noontime show winning again in the ratings game.
Miss Tapia is now 72, but in due fairness, although she moves much slower now, she still looks the same she did when she was doing Iskul Bukol almost 30 years ago. From what I know, she still does dubbing jobs for GMA 7 to this day. Her appearance on Eat, Bulaga! was very timely because the network was marking its 57th anniversary that weekend. Very few people probably remember, but Baltic & Co. was aired on Channel 7 and Miss Tapia was an original Kapuso.
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